2074/Questionable smuggling

Questionable smuggling
Date of Scene:	17 November 2024
Location:	Korma Chameleon
Synopsis:	Hinoiri goes to the Korma to ask Rashmi about what is being smuggled into RHA... and how safe it is.
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Rashmi Terios

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Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
It wasn't uncommon to hear Hinoiri's motorcycle shrieking into a stop in front of the Korma. She paused once she was there, though, pulling out her phone and sending a quick text to Rashmi.

Text to Rashmi: Hey, Rashmi, you got a minute? I just popped by your family's restaurant and I wanna pick your brain about some magic doohickey stuff.

Of course, as she walked inside she expected that it'd be a while.

She instead stopped in the doorway, her hair a bit wild, jacket zipped up, pants a bit wrinkled. And stared at Rashmi. "Ah. So, working today? Uhhhh... how busy are you?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Upon receiving the text, Rashmi could not help but snicker to herself, purely by the coincidence. And she's *still* smiling, with laughing eyes, as Hinoiri walks into the Korma. "Yep! Akakasu-san had to go home early, someone had to cover until the replacement got here. Aaaand she's changing right now, so I'm free in about a few minutes!"

Plucking one of the menus out from under the podium, she tips her head toward a booth in the back corner. "C'mon... let's get you set, and I'll get your drink when Tousen-san comes out. I'll cover for snacks, too."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod, "Rose lassi today," she said before moving towards the back corner and sitting down. She unzipped her jacket and slid it off, laying it down by herself. She wasn't going to turn down free snacks and drinks, after all. And from there, well... she just waited.

Once the drinks arrived, she'd lightly swirl it around by the straw and glance towards Rashmi. "So... this may sound a bit... odd. But have you heard anything about people smuggling magical things into the school? Perhaps under the cover of night?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
By the time the changing of the guard happened, Rashmi emerged from the kitchen with two rose lassi, and a plate of sticky chom-chom. Once the snacks are arranged on the table, she slides into the seat opposite, tilting her head as the question is tossed out there. "I've helped protect a couple things, yeah," she says without any hesitation. She opens her mouth again, pauses, and subsides for a moment, sipping at her own drink. "What's up, Hinoiri-chan?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara lightly swirled the lassi, before taking a small drink of it. "Mmmm. So... you already knew about it? They pulled you in?" Didn't pull her in, though. No, not her. Nevermind she was the most magically knowledgeable one of all of them. No, don't invite her.

"What's with all the secrecy? Is it some kind of weapon, then? Something you're hoping to use against the darkle skirts? Or something else? Surprised nobody talked to me about it. Or are you guys just assuming my Eclipse Zones were the peak of my capabilities and I wouldn't be of any use?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
That... is a lot of questions, not one of which can possibly be answered before the next. And by the third, Rashmi simply stops trying, and waits to see the real question take shape.

'Why didn't you trust me enough to tell me?'

And for a moment, she doesn't really have a good answer for that, not until she works through her own logic for a moment. "First off, all I really know is that there *is* secrecy. Sometimes keeping secrets means making sure you don't have secrets to *keep,* Hinoiri-chan. But I'd really, really have trouble believing that anyone's making a weapon to shoot at Obsidian, because aside from one other incident, we all learned *pretty hard* why you do not aim at the tower. And very, very few of us are really interested in turning this into all-out war."

With that, she looks into her lassi, and has another sip, still thinking. "All I know is Nurse Meiou asked for my help, and I said I'd give it whenever it was needed. And turns out thanks to Riventon, help gets needed more often than I like."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara frowned deeper at that, taking another small sip of the lassi. "Mmmm. I see. And what other incident? Are you all afraid of setting off the reactor, or just how much of a home field advantage the tower gives them?" she asked.

"... It wouldn't do well as a war, though. They don't want it to become that, either. Well. Some of them don't. Some of them wouldn't mind, but... escalating isn't in their best interest."

"... Wait, the nurse did? So she's involved in this? She's another one of those adults with powers? And... well, yeah. He's Riventon. Aside from me, he's probably their most magically knowledgeable members of staff." Pause. "Well. Okay, possibly the witch. But other than her."

"... Are you sure it's not dangerous? People don't usually smuggle good things into a school like that. And there's a lot of innocent people there."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...The other incident was when Chrono 'invited' Catra-san to the big princess ball last year by throwing a *whooooole* bunch of bricks through windows," Rashmi admits, lifting a shoulder. "Other than that, it's just... I mean, you heard about what Beryl did to Paris. She was *one* of Obsidian's higher-ups, do you really think *Tokyo* would survive us making *all of them* mad enough to stop playing? Same for us, escalating just *isn't* a smart idea."

On the topic of Nurse Meiou being an 'adult with powers,' Rashmi opens her mouth, pauses, and sighs. "...I swear I'm not being evasive, Hinoiri-chan, but that's not my story to tell, y'know? I can't guarantee she'll tell you if you ask her, but, I know her well enough that she wouldn't get *mad* if you did. ...Honestly, she might find it a little funny, she's got a weird sense of humor."

Shaking her head, she returns to the topic at hand. "Given that it was *Nurse* Meiou asking... No, I honestly don't think it's dangerous for the school. Even if you just wanted to use cold-person logic, the school's where almost all the people opposing Obsidian *are.* Why endanger your only defenders? But more than that... I *cannot imagine* adults who run a school like this, helping people like us, being able to be that cavalier with kids' lives, y'know?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara pulled out the straw, licking it. More playing with her drink than eating. Ordering a mid level shrimp curry tonight. Her mind on many, many other matters.

"... And yes, I do," Hinoiri said. "I think you lot can take a lot more than you realize. And between all the in-fighting, they'd likely go after each other as much as you."

Using her straw more as a spoon than a straw. "I understand, not your story. There are things you can't tell me, just as there are limits to what I can tell you. Sometimes we get information we can't share, right? But... yeah. Maybe I'll ask her..." She put that thought aside, though. She'd... caused that poor woman so much trouble already.

She then cocked her head to the side, eyeing Rashmi. "Really? You can't? I can. Lots of teachers, facilitators, all of those kind of people are in it for themselves. Not to mention she might not be very smart. Overestimating herself, underestimating whatever these are. Though, admittedly? If she's the one behind it... you're probably right. It's probably nothing I need to worry about. Not some shadowy group trying to move some new weapon into the school. I won't ask anymore."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I mean, I'm not saying 'don't ask,' just 'ask the person who signed me up,'" Rashmi says. "I don't have answers to *give.* But trust me, if I find out it *is* some stupid weapon, I will be the first one to be yelling at the headmistress."

She falls silent for a bit, then tilts her head. "But speaking of stuff you can help with, have you made any progress on your end with the communication spells? Because I'm still dead-set on the Mahounet idea."

Because while Rashmi may not enjoy not being able to satisfy Hinoiri's curiosity... She *is* aware that little lifts the spirits like a project in progress. Something that she's been learning herself.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara took another long, deep drink of the lassi. Quiet. Lost in thought. Focusing on it. Asking the school nurse...

The one she'd kidnapped and stole from (even if the woman didn't know). That... sounded like a bad idea.

"Hm? On the communication spells?" she asked. "I wrote up a lot of equations and procedures, but I'd need to see the tools I have to work with, as well as the magic. Since, well... I can't anymore. And if I try going dark energy again, pop goes your sun. Woo." She made a little swirl with her finger, one hand moving up, to rest her chin on. "I did that, though. Double Trouble got... hurt. My... theyfriend... one of Obsidian's idiots shot her with a pure heart gun. I... went Sunbreaker, to stop them. Cure Sharpsong purified me before I went too far, though... but... I was right. I can't... control it. Not for long. Not going to try again... but well... when the person you care about most gets hurt..." she mumbled.

"... So... bring me a piece of what you intend to build it into and I'll see if the two of us can cobble it into something working, okay? It might require a bit of gerrymandering, but I've always been good at thinking on my feet."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
On the news about Double Trouble, Rashmi's hands fly up to cover her mouth and a soft gasp, eyes wide. "Oh *no,* I'm so sorry, Hinoiri-chan! Is sh-- Are they okay?" Pronouns matter, especially when they're appended to '-friend.' "Are *you* okay? Because that happened to Molly-chan a couple weeks ago, and... I mean... I get it. Like... I don't get the Dark Energy part, but I was mad enough to be *mean* about it, and I didn't like that much either." Shaking her head, she reaches out to put a comforting hand on her friend's. "But hey... The important thing is that you *did* come back, and that the person you care about is okay."

Listening to the list of parts, Rashmi nods. "I can do that... Also I'm working on a project that might turn out to be helpful. Just depends on me figuring out something currently *extremely* tricky, which... actually brings me to a question. Your crystal magic, how do you get it to only let loose as much magic as you need to power a thing?"

"Also," Rashmi says, after a moment's silence. "I didn't know you had a theyfriend. What're they like?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "They're fine. Dramatic as can be, but fine. And... yeah. I think they're fine with it. They got to be dramatic. I flipped out, went Sunbreaker, broke stuff. They loooooove a good mix of drama."

"... I couldn't trust you sparkles to handle it, though. I think... if anything happened to them... I don't think the geode could have protected me, anymore. Or any of you," Hinoiri mumbled. "I wanted to kill her. More than I ever have anyone else... I'm still mad, if... less..."

Slow, deep breath. Trying to calm herself a little. "I mean... that's dependent on it. So, often there is two types. You have the power source, and the focus. The focus will require people to work on it, so they don't break it. Kind of like... uhhhhh. I think most of your electronics have them. Like... if you plugged in a reactor to a television, all of that power would fry it in a second. So people would need to make sure they don't put too much magic into it. As for a power source? That... would be harder. I don't know how to make magical power sources in this world..."

Then, however, a small smile formed on her lips as she thought of Double Trouble. "They're magnificent. Not human, which is nice. No offense. But they kind of remind me of home. Dramatic to an extreme. A performer. Absolutely thrives on and revels in their craft. Truly magnificent. Smart, clever, manipulative, but in a good way. And... they care about me. I was so certain they'd betray me at first... and of course, they did... when I was Sunset of Sora, to get my geode back on me and try to bring me back. They truly have a flare for being as over the top as possible. I love that about them."

"... Also, they have a really cute tail they like to coil around me sometimes. It's so cute. Kind of like dating a dragon. I never did that back home, but I did often wonder. Sometimes... they feel like the only thing I have left in this world. The one thing that's really... mine, still."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Would you mind if I met them?" Rashmi asks after a moment. "I mean, partly I think you might be right, but partly... I kinda want to meet the person that can make you smile like that. And I want to help look out for them if they need it, y'know? Just based off the fact that you have an entire *story* to tell, it sounds like they're really good for you."

Rashmi falls silent again, musing over the technical aspects and nodding with... well, a studied arcanotechnical expert would be able to judge about half-understanding, but the basic concept grasped. "Yeah, currently my problem is figuring out a way to make it discharge less than 'all at once.' I got tired of not having much to contribute when the fight gets *really* fighty, so I... basically made what we'd call a capacitor; it stores energy until it's full, and then I can dump it all into a single spell. I've been coming up with a few good uses for that, but... for something like the communication station, I feel like it needs to be less... all-to-nighting, y'know?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times and then flushed, glancing away. "I... don't know. They work for Obsidian, you know. They use dark energy, since their magic doesn't work here and well... they have to use dark energy for it. So... I'm not entirely certain they, uhhhh... would be the kind of person you want to get close to. But, knowing that, if you still want to? I'll see what I can do."

However, Rashmi's mention of a capacitor made her eyes go wide. "You managed to make something like that? Wow, you're smarter than I thought. Err, no offense. I could... take a look at it. See if we can find a way to, more or less, store that kind of magic into a more... portable form. IT won't be easy, though. A lot of things that could be used for that just don't exist on this world. You lack the supplies, in most cases. But magic in this world doesn't... work like back home. It's innately unstable. A lot of people who use it have to work with other methods and tools just to make sure it doesn't wash away on its own. That was why I turned to dark energy. It's not like home."

She poked at her lassi again, almost gone... and it was then that her curry arrived. She gave a soft sigh. "I kind of miss home, admittedly. If I could get home, I'd try and get you some of the things we used. Magic doesn't really... work the same here, so stuff I bring over tends to act wonky, but ummmm... who knows? Maybe we could use it to get the baseline, you know?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yeah," Rashmi sighs. "And to make matters worse, the only way for me to *get* more supplies is to wait for the wrecked hunks of my boyfriend's spaceship to fall to Earth. I've *never* really felt right about scavenging it, but... there's so much that could be done. See also; bits of their communications system turning into Mahounet," she says with a crooked smile. "And thanks... it's just, once I have a solid understanding of what I'm *doing,* putting the things together is just... y'know, fiddly. But the math that holds it all up, I just can't retain well. When I have the stuff to make another one, I'll give it to you to take apart, but it's pure Device technology so it might make only about as much sense as the spell code."

"But yeah I would *love* to meet your theyfriend. I mean of all people *you* ought to know my track record with non-leadership Obsidian workers. Riventon aside. And even him I'll still work with and *probably* not punch after the third monologue." Clearing her throat, Rashmi spends a moment to finish off her lassi. "But anyway... Yeah, if the portal opens up again? I'm... actually also curious about that too. I'd even come with you, if you wanted. Moral support and all that?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a light chuckle. "Yeah. I imagine your boyfriend's ship crashing is... not something you'd be very happy about. Let alone having to scavenge it. But well, if there's nobody on it using the stuff now, they'd likely prefer you use it to help keep people alive and save than having it just go to waste."

"... You're fighting an uphill battle, Rashmi. Don't knock yourself short. Magic is new to you and, while I may be a genius in the field, I also come from a world where magic is common. We've had centuries to study it and develop new magic and its effects. The fact you've made any progress, even before you account for the fade, is impressive."

"You're effectively learning how to swim and explore oceans, when you live on a world that has no more water than what you can find in a puddle. It'll take time. In fact, the only person I've met other than you and myself who've made any progress is Riventon... and he has the advantage of being born magic, something I believe you lack."

"And... yeah. Your track record. I uhhhh... yeah. You do have... quite... a forgiving heart, huh? I wouldn't worry, the whole monologue thing is just him. I'm just grateful I never got that bad." Then blinked. "Oh Sora, I was that bad, wasn't I? And... uhhh... maybe. For... obvious reasons, I haven't told anyone where the portal is. It's one of those... rather... personal things. Nobody at Obsidian even knows where it is. I'll... I'll think about it, okay?" she said, giving a small smile.

Well, it seemed she was protective of it, certainly.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"If it's that personal," Rashmi says gently, "then 'no' is an answer I'll accept too, it's okay. And no, you weren't as bad as Riventon, except for maybe a couple times. But that's it, and... thank you, seriously. It actually really means a lot to me to hear that, I spend a *lot* of time worrying about how far behind I might be falling."

When your primary concern is supporting people, apparently it can get easy to start worrying that you're not enough.

"And you're right about the ship, but... At least the *crew* is safe. And all adults. So... yeah, the Fade. But they are at least safe and slipped into normal lives here, even still. Which is sad, but not nearly as sad as it could have been."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"It's nothing personal. It's just... the only way for me to get home. If anything happened to it, if someone targetted it, or tried to cut it off... it... I'd be trapped here. Then again, if the portal doesn't open again..." She was silent then. Before poking at her food. She'd only had like, two bites. "Buck, I must be pathetic. Here I am... putting in all this effort to go to a place where I'm not even wanted..." she muttered.

"... For this world, you're above the curve. There's just... not a lot of people who get the magic. Who want to get the magic. They just... have it, and they're happy. But not everyone can be happy just having, they want to understand. Excel. You may be able to do it, but it takes a lot of effort. An iron will."

"... Do you think you'd ever turn to dark energy, if you had to?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Not at all," Rashmi says, shaking her head. "You miss your home. That's not pathetic at all, no matter what other bad memories are bound up in it. Home is home, and there's a secret I *can* tell you," she says, leaning in and lowering her voice. "I *grew up* in this restaurant. I've never lived anywhere else, my whole life. And last year, I moved into the dorms, and... I think it was a week after? I was trying to get to sleep, and it hit me that I really was *moved out,* and I ended up crying myself to sleep. If I thought I *couldn't* come back here? Yeah... Hinoiri-chan I think you're plenty strong as it is, and I'm glad you *have* a theyfriend for times like that."

When Hinoiri asks about the Dark Energy, Rashmi sits back, drawing in a deep breath, and letting it out in a sigh. "I can't say 'never,' because I'm just not an oracle. All I know is... The first time I really got a look at what Dark Energy does to a person who isn't made to resist it? Chrono... my boyfriend... got infected with it, when we were fighting... wow, that plant girl, come to think of it. We didn't notice for awhile, but... He hadn't found hardly any of his crewmembers, and he would have been driving himself in spirals without it... But *with* it, he almost killed Riventon because he was too lost in 'what if I can't save her.' I stopped him, and we got him purified, but... That's a pretty bad first impression, so if *I* turned to Dark Energy, it would be knowing it would do *that* to me... So 'had to' would be a pretty high bar to clear."

Looking up, she meets Hinoiri's gaze for a moment, and smiles. "Can I ask a question too, though?"

"If there was no Dark Energy for you to turn to that first time... What would you have done?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a little chuckle and nodded. "Yeah. I uhhh... that used to happen, back home. We had a lot of students who were... well. It was a... everyone lived at the school. I was lucky, I lived in the castle. But I had a special room in the school, I'd sleep there sometimes. There were students who'd... cry, sometimes. About it. I never understood, I thought it was the coolest place ever. I never understood why they'd rather be home than there. I guess, now, it was just... I'd never had a home aside from there, I didn't get that then. I... was probably a bit more of a bitch than I needed to be."

"Dark energy... impacts your judgment. It doesn't make you bad, innately. But it can make you... consider things you wouldn't, before. You have to be careful, when you turn to it. Otherwise, you make poor choices. And once those choices are made... you can't go back. So you need to be both strong enough to resist... and in control. IF you lose your grounding... you lose dark energy or become a monster. There's no middle ground, after a point."

She leaned back, closing her eyes. Thinking on it. Finally, she shrugged. "I don't know. I tried finding a way to use magic. When I came here. IT was so... weird. It took me days to figure out how to use my hands right. I stole a lot, broke into this old cabin. I could feel magic, I just couldn't use it, you know? Riventon found me, helped me figure it out. I might have gone Sunset beforehand if not for him. Or never figured it out, sicne I didn't realize what my geode was doing..."

She then sighed and leaned back, looking up. "I don't really know. Maybe I would have given up. Magic had been my whole world. Everything I was. Everything I knew. Like... being an artist, who could no longer see the canvas or use my hands. If all I could do was watch other people use it, but not been able to? Then?"

"I think I would have gone mad. I have friends now, so it's better. But then? I don't think I could have endured it."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Then do me a favor," Rashmi says, leaning over the table. "Don't beat yourself up for just wanting to survive. You did things you regret after, sure. Those need making up for. But the thing that started you doing that? Might have saved your life. So I can't say I would've made that choice, but I can understand why *you* did. And why it's so hard to let go. But I am *so, so proud of you* for getting as far as you have, Hinoiri. Don't *ever* forget that."

Leaning back, she gives her fellow redhead a small, quiet smile. "It's hard, I know. I knew it was gonna *be* hard. But you're doing great too... And you deserve to *hear* you are."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod and reached up, wiping her eyes. "You know... you... really are... you're nice to talk with, Rashmi. I mean that. I ummmm... I'm sorry about putting you in the hospital that time. I... I really wouldn't have imagined you'd one day be trying to help me like that. Heh. So... thanks..."

"Can I have a to-go container? I uhhhh... I'm actually not as hungry as I thought. But... yeah. It is hard. But I'm trying. And I'll keep trying. One day, I might succeed. Really, truly succeed. I hope. But... for now? I think... I'm getting better. For the most part. And... I feel I should mention this. Dark energy... it can be... powerful. But I mean it when I say it doesn't make someone bad. I know Riventon gets a bad rap a lot of the time. But... he's also put in a lot of effort to protect me and people like me from the worst of the company. He's a bit of an idiot, a lot. But he is trying his best."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
When Hinoiri apologizes for putting her in the hospital, Rashmi just... chuckles. "Thanks, but... I think for awhile now I've put that in 'bad times that started good things.' If it wasn't for that, I probably wouldn't have started working as hard as I did to get better. The *first thing I learned to do* when I was out of the hospital was to start learning ways to counteract fire magic. And everything else, just... snowballed from there. So... we can call that one even, really. But, you're welcome."

When talk moves to Riventon, Rashmi nods slowly, listening. "I've gotten that impression, too, yeah. He cares about his people, in his way, I get that... Just... well. When I need to work with him, I try to have patience, because of that. I'm definitely not gonna assume Dark Energy equals Bad Person, don't worry. If I dislike someone, it's for wholly different reasons."

With that, she rises from the table, picking up the chom chom and Hinoiri's order. "I'll just go get this packed up for you, okay? I'll be right back, I promise."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a light chuckle. "Yeah, for what it's worth... I've been looking into that, myself. Fire... is a lot nastier than I realized. Easy to lose control of. So ummm... yeah. And he really does. He's..."

She trailed off, then smiled. "A lot of bad people use dark energy. But that doesn't make it bad. A lot of bad people use all kinds of terrible things. But that doesn't make the tool bad, it makes the people bad. So... just remember that."

Just in case the time ever came, where Rashmi had the chance to... stop one of those 'bad people', she remembered to not end the 'good people who used bad power'. Then, well, she leaned back and waited for her food.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi takes just a bit longer than one would expect to return, but when she does, it's with a folder filched from the office, and a few sheets of paper within. "I printed off some of the notes I'd made," she says as she sets the to-go bag down, and the folder. "It came to me when I realized that fire acts a lot like a liquid... so I made shields that work with that. You'd probably get the technical stuff better, look for books on fluid dynamics in the school library."

"And don't worry, Hinoiri... It'll take a *lot* for me to decide someone can't be helped. Way farther than just about anyone at Obsidian that I know, would want to go."